Fayetteville

Mayor Mike Wheat was unusually relaxed as he

settled behind his desk at City Hall on election

eve.

For

the first time in a dozen years, voters who went

to the polls yesterday to choose two city

councilmen and a new mayor didn't see Wheat's

name on the ballot.

Far

from being relieved or glad to be free of the

election time jitters, Wheat seemed a little sad.

"Actually I miss that," he said.

"That whole process is a lot of fun."

His

decision not to seek reelection this year was not

motivated by any feeling of being "burned

out," or being tired of the hassles of

public life, he said.

"I

enjoy politics now," he said, "but I

don't ever want to be a professional politician.

I don't think it was ever something that the

founding fathers intended.

"I

think that's a part of what's wrong with the

national political scene," added Wheat, who

is a 23-year executive with IBM's

telecommunications services. "Look at Bill

Clinton. He has never done another thing in his

life but be a politician. I don't think that's

good."

The

terms of public office holders should be limited,

Wheat said. And that's why he decided not to run

again.

He

got involved in the first place the same way many

people in local government do. "Most people

are happy living their everyday lives and relying

on the local government to do a good job,"

he said. "They get involved when something

specific is going on that affects their

property."

Wheat

represented his neighborhood when property nearby

was being rezoned. "That got completely out

of hand and I ended up running for City

Council," he said.

The

Indiana native said when he leaves office in 60

days, he will look back on his nine years as

mayor and two on City Council with satisfaction.

"We have made great strides," he said,

his face lighting up with a quick smile.

"It's

not just the physical things, though there are a

lot of physical things you can see," he

said. Among accomplishments are a new City Hall,

water plant, sewer plant and improvements to

downtown areas through the Main Street program.

"Those

are things you have to do to keep up with the

growth in population," he said.

"Probably the most important thing is in

terms of staff. The professionalism is

dramatically higher than it was," he said.

"That's probably the biggest difference that

I see."

Aggressive

training programs, the hiring of highly qualified

people and long-term employees "growing in

the job" have contributed to the city's

strong staff, Wheat said.

He

also takes great pleasure in strides the city has

taken toward realizing a vision that he shares

with other city leaders to keep an old-fashioned

feel in Fayetteville even as the city moves into

a new century, Wheat said.

"We

had a nice dinner at the City Cafe during the

Pumpkin Walk," he said. "Then we walked

around and looked at the pumpkins and all the

people enjoying the atmosphere, and I thought,

`That's perfect. That's exactly what Fayetteville

is all about,'" he said.

Putting

the new City Hall in a historic old school

building, Fayette's first, was part of that

vision, Wheat said. The city is seeking to

establish its roots in the past while planning

for the future, he said, and to create a place

where people will have a sense of community.

"It's

also been an objective to make the city

government more open and responsive," he

said. "We try to always let people have

their say. It's a challenge, the larger the city

gets," he added.

"But

you know, people still call at 10:30 at night and

say, `My water's brown.' They still think of

calling their elected officials first," he

said.

Wheat's

advice for the new mayor is simple. "The

best thing the new mayor can do is partner with

the council and work as a team with the

council," he said.

"We've

been able to do it as a group for the last ten

years," he added. "It doesn't mean we

always agree, but it means we always have the

best for the city in mind. We agree to disagree,

but it doesn't become personal."

As

he prepares to step down from the mayor's chair,

Wheat is leaving the door open for future

political activity, though he says he has nothing

in particular in mind.

"Now

that I really understand how local government

works, I may get involved again in

politics," he said. "We'll see."

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